


Glitch in the System

by pirateherokillian (Pirateherokillian)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 04:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13562490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pirateherokillian/pseuds/pirateherokillian
Summary: Emma isn't all too familiar with the world of online content creator conventions, and finds out the rough way how intense the gamer crowd can be when she has an unpleasant encounter with 'The Captain' of popular youtube trio 'The Brothers Jones', Killian Jones. Written for Captain Swan Little Bang.





	Glitch in the System

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to my beta, justanotherwannabeclassic, for helping polish up the story and help it be the best thing it could be. And to my artist honeybadgerhook for bringing the fic to life in some awesome and adorable imagery! This fic features a lot of alcohol use/abuse, so if that is in any way triggering for you, please proceed with caution!

Emma watched her brother pace nervously around the lounge that had been set up back stage for all attending guests, along with their accompanying family and friends. She couldn’t really blame David. She’d seen the crowds pouring into the ballroom on their way to this little content creator safe haven. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that millions of people could be watching her beyond a computer screen - to see even a fraction of that number of people in person? It was overwhelming. And she wasn’t even the Youtuber in the family.

“You need to relax…” Mary-Margaret sighed from where she was lounging beside Emma on the surprisingly comfy couch. “You’re getting yourself worked up over nothing.”

“How can you not be worked up?!” David turned abruptly on his heels, pausing in his pacing to give his wife a wide-eyed, incredulous stare. “Did you see all the people out there?!” 

“All the same people who watch us on a daily basis,” Mary-Margaret had adopted that motherly voice she normally used for her and David’s toddler, Leo. Though Emma had heard it directed to her brother, and herself, more times than was probably necessary. “They already love you.”

David nodded, a touch frantic. “Yeah, they love me where they can watch me for free. They love me with you in our house doing…” He gestured absently around him. “ _ Farm _ things. They love our animals.” He turned slightly to point back in the direction of the stage. “This is them paying for me… us… on a stage… just… talking-”

A loud cheer erupted from the very direction he had pointed and all their attention turned towards it. There was a bunch of laughing and shouting and whoever was on stage was clearly getting the crowd into it. Emma couldn’t really make out what was being said from where they were, but whatever it was, she knew it certainly wasn’t the material her brother and sister-in-law were known for.

“And we’ve gotta follow that?” David mumbled, looking helplessly to the pair on the couch again before dropping his face into his hand. “We should’ve just stayed home.”

Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes at Emma before pushing up from the couch and stepping over to her husband. She placed her hands on his shoulders, causing him to drop his hand and give her the same helpless look from before. “David, the convention organizers invited us to attend. They clearly think we’re good enough to please the fans. You’ve just gotta turn on that natural charm of yours…”

David stared at her for a long moment, silently seeming to draw strength from her. He took a deep breath, straightening a bit. He opened his mouth to say something, probably what would’ve been his most optimistic remark in the past hour, but a commotion from the stage once again pulled their attention.

A group of guys were making their way into the lounge space, playfully shoving and bickering at each other. They seemed oblivious to Emma, David, and Mary-Margaret as they all crowded around one another a few feet away.

“Well, gents…” The darker-haired of the three grinned triumphantly, hoisting a flask into the air with a flourish, the white line of scars around his left hand seeming to flash with the movement . “I’d say that was another successful panel.” Before his other two companions could reply, he tipped the contents of the flask into his mouth. Much to what seemed like disapproval of the oldest in their group, if the slightly taller man’s eye roll was anything to go on, he didn’t stop until he’d drained the thing dry. Once finished, he licked his lips, the grin on his face turning all-knowing and mischievous.

“Killian…” The older man had a warning in his tone, clearly sensing something in the nature of his companion’s smile. 

“Time to top up.” The man who apparently went by the name Killian, appeared to have his hackles raised at the other’s tense tone. He swaggered over towards the wall where a few bags had been piled up. He none-too-gracefully plopped down to the floor in front of it, noisily rummaging through the bags. 

“To be fair, Liam…” The third of the men, the youngest looking of the trio, turned a placating gaze on the oldest, poorly disguised as amusement. “You did just encourage him out there.”

“Yup!” Killian declared from the floor. Emma had to lean over the couch slightly to take in what he was doing. He had located an already opened bottle of rum and was attempting to pour some of the amber liquid into his flask. “You demanded content, brother. I’m here to oblige!”

Emma looked back to Liam to see him take on a haughty stance, arms crossed tightly over his chest in what she knew well as the ‘disappointed brother’ pose. “Yes, content. Get a bit loose and have some fun, like at home...” He started to move towards his brother slowly, as if approaching a tantruming child. “You keep up at the pace you’re going, you’ll be the wasted walking dead before dinner. Also, I didn’t demand.”

An amused snort sounded from the floor. “Sure thing, brother…” There was a hint of bitterness lurking behind the laissez faire exterior.  

“Joneses!” A flurry of dark and red rushed in from the stage, sounding winded and excited. “Fantastic panel!” Emma glanced up to see the girl she’d come to know as Ruby, one of the convention organizers, joining the fray. “You got that crowd pumped up in the way only you guys know how…” She unlocked her phone at lightning speed and quickly tapped at a few things on the screen. “You’ve got photo ops in thirty, and then autos after that…” She smiled like the hostess at a party at the two men still standing. Killian joined them a moment later, taking a triumphant sip from his newly-filled flask. “We’ll get your guardians to escort you all over there.”

“Love a good escort.” He winked at her, smile turning salacious. Emma rolled her eyes, though Ruby seemed to take the comment in stride, like she’d been expecting it. She poked at Killian’s shoulder before doing an impressive half turn, considering how high her heels were, now facing David and Mary-Margaret. 

“Okay, Nolans. You’ll be up next, and I know the crowd is really excited to see you.” She beamed, striding over towards them. Emma noted that the ‘Joneses’ suddenly seemed to realize they hadn’t been the only people in the room. She especially noted the way Killian’s eyes landed directly on hers, holding her gaze flirtatiously. She blinked, unimpressed, and turned her attention on Ruby and her brother.

David once again looked doubtful, his brief moment of confidence building from before scattering in the chaos that had been the brothers coming offstage. “If you say so…” He gestured toward the trio of brothers. “We’re not as exciting as all that.”

“Ah, bugger that!” Killian scoffed loudly. He made his way towards David, thrusting out his flask towards him. “Here, take a couple nips of this. You’ll find your excitement…” He did a once over of David, and Mary-Margaret, and made a sort of dramatic frown. “I hope.”

“Killian!” Liam snapped, embarrassment clear in his reprimand. 

“You can keep that.” Killian pointed to the flask, ignoring the awkwardness he’d just brought to the room. He slapped David on the shoulder, hard, and grinned as if he was being the most helpful person around. “I’ve got another.” 

He quickly turned and went to gather up his bag against the wall. Digging around in the satchel he slung over his shoulder, he cheered when he discovered that other flask, pulling it out and making a dramatic bow before taking his grand leave of them all, being sure to throw Emma a flirty wink before he was gone, his guardian struggling to follow along behind him.

“Bloody hell! Killian!” Liam rushed after him, his own guardian straggling behind, leaving everyone else standing watching in a mixed state of shock, resignation, and anger - because Emma was sure as hell angry over how the ass had just treated her brother.

A throat cleared after a moment and they all turned to find the youngest man still standing there awkwardly. He thrust his hands into the pocket of his jeans as he slowly started for the door. “Sorry about my brothers. It’s been a long weekend already.” He glanced at David and gave him an encouraging half-smile. “I’m sure your panel will be awesome.”

They watched as he held the door open for his guardian, offering one last departing smile before he too was gone. 

Ruby shrugged helplessly. “So that was your first introduction to ‘Hurricane Jones’...” She tried for a lighthearted tone, earning forced smiles from David and Mary-Margaret. Emma just rolled her eyes. 

More like ‘Hurricane Assholes’, in her opinion. She made a mental note to not only avoid the brothers for the rest of the convention, but to be sure never to spend a single moment of her time watching whatever ridiculous, obviously inappropriate, content they put out to the masses.

\----

Elevators, Emma had come to realize in the two days she’d been in this hotel, were the equivalent of convention hell. She’d done her fair share of animal and farm equipment expos with her adoptive parents, along with David, since she was a kid. But they were nothing like what she was experiencing that weekend. Sprawling convention floors and hotel ballrooms, VIP areas, and guest lounges. Absurd amenities. People excited to see her brother and sister-in-law, some even being reduced to tears when meeting them. People wanting photos and autographs and having their own experiences they wanted to share. Some even recognizing Emma from the scant few times she’s appeared in David’s videos. All because they liked to talk to the internet about their lives...

And elevators that took twenty minutes to arrive, and twenty minutes more to drop you off. 

She let out another sigh, willing for the elevator to finally reach her in the lobby. She’d just missed the last car by a couple seconds and had been standing about for another ten waiting for the next one. She was tired and hungry and was trying to take the time while the dynamic youtube duo was having their meet and greet hour to get herself freshened up for dinner later. 

Finally the little arrow above the elevator lit up, a ping chiming from the doors as they pulled open. A bunch of con attendees piled out, but none of them seemed to recognize her without her Prince Charming of a brother by her side, much to her relief. Also to her relief, nobody seemed ready to take a ride to the upper floors with her, so she found herself well and truly alone for the first time since that morning. The quiet in the car was so nice.

And short-lived as the car came to an agonizing stop just two floors up, the call for someone needing a pick up on the atrium level overriding Emma’s desperate need to relax and unwind. She groaned rather immaturely as the doors slid open, not really caring whoever may see her acting childish, alone in an elevator.

Only no one saw because no one was there. Emma frowned, wondering if maybe one of the cheekier attendees had pressed the button as a prank, something she had already experienced one too many times that weekend. She reached forward, hand hovering over the ‘door close’ button. She’d also been on the receiving end of a few of those missed elevators herself. With a sigh, she shifted her fingers over to the ‘door open’ and called out.

“Hello, someone call for the elevator?” She knew there was a whine in her voice, but it was all she could to try to be a good elevator samaritan in that moment. Let them know the distress it was causing her. When silence followed, she sighed again. 

Prankers: 12, Emma: 0.

She released the button and settled back against the glass wall of the elevator just as a disembodied voice shouted ‘Wait!’. Emma dove for the button, realizing there was no way she was gonna hit it before the door closed, but trying regardless. An arm shot through the gap left between the closing doors just in time, causing them to bounce back open. 

“Can you hold it just a moment, please?” An out of breath, accented voice asked, and before Emma could pinpoint where she’d heard it before, she heard the same voice moving away from the elevator. She tried to see out into the atrium, but with her finger stuck on the door open button, she couldn’t really go very far. So, she opted to listen to her soon to be car companion instead.

“Girls, my brother really isn’t up for pictures right now.” The same disembodied voice said in a kind, yet commanding, tone. “He’s been having a bit too much fun today… You remember after the ‘Five Nights Too Many’ video?” Emma heard a gasp and a couple of understanding groans. “Yeah, so how about you lasses come and find us at the autograph table tomorrow? I promise he’ll be far more dashing and disarming then.”

There was some reluctant murmuring, and then after a short time, two distinct groans, and suddenly a pair of guys was stumbling their way into the elevator past Emma. She let go of the button and turned to take in the pair as the doors slid shut. Her eyes went wide when it hit her why she’d recognized the one voice. 

An annoying whistle bounced around small car as Killian Jones bonelessly slid down the length of the glass wall he was leaning against for what seemed like dear life. Liam watched on with an unimpressed look, shaking his head as his brother finally hit the floor with a groan. 

“I don’t wanna hear it, little brother.” He muttered. “I did say-”

“Y’ngr…” Killian garbled loudly. 

“Yeah, yeah… still an immature little git either way.” He sighed before turning an apologetic look towards Emma. “Sorry, lass. Do you think you could hit floor forty?”

Emma offered a tight smile. “That’s...uh… that’s where I’m going.”

“Oh, good…” Liam nodded awkwardly before turning his attention towards the floors gliding past on the other side of the glass as the elevator started to climb once more. Emma felt her body tense as the small space filled with awkward silence. She was now desperately hoping for the elevator to stop at least one more time. And if it didn’t, let her make her exit without having to say much - and by much, she really meant nothing more at all -  to the pair that had almost put a damper on what had been a pretty good day for her brother and sister-in-law. The chime of the elevator came after a few more agonizing moments, signaling they’d  _ finally _ reached floor forty. Emma didn’t hesitate to slip past the doors as they started to open.

But it seemed some god was out for her sanity that day when it came to anything Jones related.

“I hope the panel did turn out well this morning?” 

Emma halted in her retreat from the car, turning to find Liam standing with his hand holding the doors open. Behind him, Killian was making a piss poor attempt to rise from his heap on the floor. 

Liam stared at her with a contrite, resigned look. As if he realized he couldn’t just let her walk away without saying anything. “The panel for your…?” 

“Brother.” Emma finally found her voice as the sight and sounds of Killian’s struggling, and Liam’s obvious attempts to act like it wasn’t happening in that moment so he could make penance with her brought the anger boiling up again. “And yes, it went great. No thanks to either of…” She gestured between him and the man slumped against the glass wall. “You two.”

Liam winced at her words and tone. “I am sorry for that behavior this morning. These sorts of events really just get into one’s head sometimes…” He shook his and then cast a dismissive nod over his shoulder towards his brother. “Some more than others.”

She crossed her arms, straightening a bit. “I don’t give a damn what reasoning you wanna give me,” Emma shrugged. “You two acted like assholes to a pair of people out here just trying to spread a little goodness to the world. Just because they’re not all rowdy and…” She tossed a disgusted head nod to Killian. “Wasted for the masses doesn’t mean what they produce isn’t interesting.”

It was Liam’s eyes that had gone wide now. “You’re absolutely right.” He mumbled.

“I know I am.” Emma nodded. “Look, I don’t know what you guys do to draw such crowds. I honestly don’t care. Clearly it’s nothing worth my time if that,” She uncrossed her arms to wave a hand at Killian, who was once again sliding down the elevator wall, clearly having given up on standing. “Is an end result. Maybe a little  _ less  _ exciting would treat you better, yeah?”

Satisfied with the flush of embarrassment on Liam’s face, punctuated by Killian’s pathetic moan, Emma turned on her heels, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment as she was the one to make the dramatic exit this time.

\-----

Sitting back in his seat, a rare lull in their autograph line, an exhausted Killian ran a hand through his hair tiredly and tried to think back on the last weekend he hadn’t been to a convention. The summer months were always the busiest for the Brothers Jones channel, the months filled with what felt like an endless stream of trips to visit their devoted masses face to face. It’s not that he was tired of meeting fans - his fans meant more to him than pretty much everything outside of his own brothers. But with fans came the expectation to maintain the high octane persona he’d honed to perfection in the video game playthrough videos that had made him beloved.

And the four straight weeks of ‘The Captain’, as his fans had dubbed him, were starting to wear him ragged. It was only Saturday, and he’d almost blown through all the inventive ways he could explain away the scarring on his left hand that fans had been inquiring about since his early days as a gamer. It was always some grand tale - his favorite being some variation of a fight with a crocodile, the references to ‘Peter Pan’ too fun for him to pass up. But the Captain’s grandiose tales were running about as thin as he was at this point.

He’d even gone so far as to leave the rum safely tucked at home this weekend, for fear his liver might actually give out if he pushed himself too far. He cringed internally as he recalled the convention a few months back where he’d become a little too acquainted with his old friend “Morgan”. He honestly  _ couldn’t _ recall much of that second day at all, most of the knowledge he had about his time there coming from his brothers or their friends. It was an embarrassment, to say the least.

It was any wonder the organizers of all the cons that followed hadn’t straight up cancelled him completely. He really needed to send Ruby some sort of gift basket for putting up with his nonsense those three days.

“Looking contemplative there, bro.” Killian’s younger brother commented from beside him at the table. “Something that’ll make the content commander happy?” 

Killian scoffed at their moniker for Liam and gave a little shake of his head. “Not unless he’s changed his mind on personal musings outside of the virtual killing world.” He hunched up his shoulders and scowled dramatically. “We play video games for a living, _ little  _ brother. You wanna ramble, go make a podcast channel!” 

“Podcasts are pretty hot right now.”

“Ah, but Lee,” Killian pointed at his younger brother, “not as hot as pranks and technology glitches!”

Lee laughed at the jab at their older brother, causing Killian to give him a cheeky grin. It didn’t stop the younger man from sobering quickly and giving him an understanding look. “You really should talk to Liam about how you feel, you know? I’m sure he’d understand if you’d just sat down and talked.”

“We talk,” Killian answered with a shrug, glancing to the table where he was fiddling with a silver sharpie. 

“I mean outside of snarking at each other in video games, or arguing constantly about content,” Lee countered. He reached out and stilled Killian’s nervous fidgeting. “It couldn’t be any worse than drowning yourself in rum for three days straight,” he said as he let go of Killian’s hand.

Killian turned indignant blue eyes on his younger brother. “I have been completely sober this whole weekend!” Aside from the handful of drinks he’d had Friday night at their usual get together with the other gamer crowd. “Mostly,” he amended at Lee’s knowing quirked eyebrow.

“It’s not just about this weekend,” Lee sighed.

Placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder, Killian gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I know.” He nodded and then rolled his eyes at the imploring look he was getting in return. “I’ll talk to him-” He gave a reluctant nod. “Or at least  _ try _ to. Alright?”

Lee gave an accepting nod of his own. “Okay.”

Killian patted Lee’s shoulder one more time. “Alright.” He glanced around, noting once again that they were severely lacking in fans coming up to their table. “Now where the bloody hell did our adoring masses get to? It’s been a good ten minutes since I had to smoulder for the ladies.”

Snorting, Lee started to look around himself. He pointed to a pair of tables not far from where they were seated at the very moment Killian himself noticed the large line that was snaking its way away from said tables. “Seems they stole our crowd.”

“Sure bloody looks like it.” Killian rose from his seat, seeing if he could get a glimpse of whoever was drawing such attention. He couldn’t make out exactly who was signing and taking pictures with folks behind the winding throng of people that was gathered, but a flash of blonde off to the side a bit drew his attention. “Oh…”

He felt an indescribable sense of familiarity as he gazed at the beautiful woman, who seemed slightly overwhelmed by the number of people near her. Killian felt, deep down, like he’d seen the woman before, but surely he’d have remembered having laid eyes on someone that lovely.

“Oh, what?” Lee rose next to him, trying to take in what Killian was seeing for himself. The tone of his younger brother’s voice changed drastically when he finally caught sight of what had drawn Killian’s awed stare. “Oh.”

“What?” Killian glanced sharply at his brother. 

Lee frowned a bit and gave a shake of his head. “Yeah, I think that ship has sailed for you, bro.” He sighed as he lowered himself back to his chair. 

“Why do you say that?” Killian asked with a frown, his brows furrowed in confusion. 

“You kinda insulted her brother?” Lee offered in a strained voice, his words rising a fraction as he got to the end. Less in question and more in a ‘this is really awkward to say’ sort of way.

Killian’s frown deepened. “I’ve never even met the lass, how could I have insulted her brother?”

Lee gave his head a tilt, much like Killian had not too long before when he’d had to amend his no drinking comment. “That’s… not entirely accurate.” At Killian’s continued growing level of confusion, Lee held up a placating hand. “Though, in your defense, you probably don’t remember.”

“I clearly  _ don’t _ , Liam!” Killian snapped, using the man’s full name. The one he only used when he was comforting or commanding his little brother. “Stop pussyfooting around and tell me-”

“Enchanted Creation,” Lee blurted. 

Killian was sure his face blanched at the words. “Oh.” 

“Yeah…” Lee winced. “Like I said, in your defense…” He tried to offer Killian a reassuring look as Killian slumped back down into his chair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

“There is no defense for any of that weekend, Lee.” Killian sighed, running a hand back and forth over his forehead. “How bad was it?” He muttered the question quietly.

Lee shrugged. “I mean, you’ve done worse?” At Killian’s incredulous and waiting look, Lee closed his eyes and sighed. “You implied that her brother and sister were boring and/or made shitty content.” Killian closed his eyes, dropping his head. “And there was something with the elevator.”

Eyes still closed, head still hung, Killian felt his face beginning to heat. Partly over Lee’s admission, but mostly over the fact that he absolutely had no recollection of anything to do with boring implications and elevators. “What thing?”

“I wasn’t there for that. Liam mentioned it when you were puking in the bathroom later that night.”

“Lovely.” He sat back with a groan, dropping his head back over the back of the chair, staring up at bright lights and rafters of the convention hall. “Just fucking lovely.”

“Yeah…” Lee stretched out the word in pained understanding. “Like I said. Shipped pretty much sailed there. But hey!” He patted at Killian’s knee, causing Killian to drop his head to the side to glance at him. Lee nodded out in front of them and Killian sat up to see a gaggle of fanboys shoving their way up to their table. “At least the fans still love you, right?”

“Yeah…” Killian sighed. He straightened and put on his most snarky grin for the approaching kids, doing his best to give them their ‘Captain’ as they chatted and asked about some of the Brothers Jones’ more popular gaming videos. But even as he started to sign their merchandise and artwork, he couldn’t stop himself from casting side glances every so often in the direction of the woman’s table, feeling the guilt churning his stomach.

\----

Killian waited until the crowds had started to thin on Sunday afternoon before approaching the  set of tables that had been plaguing his thoughts all weekend. He tried to reason with himself that the delay in making some sort of amends was do to his own busy schedule, but really he was just plain embarrassed. Having to apologize for something he’d yet to recall was mortifying, especially when it was fairly obvious the people he needed to make amends to clearly recalled him, namely the beautiful woman who’d first caught his eye. 

In the brief passing moments their attentions had crossed, her glances had been nothing short of withering. Killian couldn’t blame her. Though he couldn’t dredge up the rum-drowned memories of that weekend, he’d seen enough video evidence in the past that his blackout drunk behavior was less than gentlemanly. Still, if there was one thing he  _ could _ pride himself on, it was that he didn’t back away from challenging and awkward situations. 

“Hey,” he offered in a friendly tone as he stepped towards the pair that had been drawing in fans for a good portion of the weekend. They both glanced up at him with friendly smiles of their own, which quickly dimmed when they realized who was standing just on the other side of their table. Silence started to stretch out as they stared back at him, and he fidgeted, one hand finding its way into the pocket of his jeans while the other moved to the back of his neck. “Ummm…”

The petite brunette shook her head as if waking from a trance, smile brightening a bit as she stood. “Hello…” Her tone was a bit too sweet to be genuine, but it was obvious she was making an effort to be civil. “Killian, right?” She held out her hand towards him.

Killian nodded and stepped forward, reaching out to shake it lightly. “Yes, Killian Jones.” He attempted a bit of charm, some of the ‘Captain’ persona coming to life without much of a second thought. “Middle piece to the Brothers Jones machine.” He released her hand to turn and gesture back towards where his brothers were still milling about by their own tables.

“We’ve met.” The man said in a matter of fact tone, causing Killian to turn back to him. He was watching Killian with a look of trepidation, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he leaned back in his seat slightly.

“Aye, so we have…” Killian shifted on his feet again, dropping his gaze to the floor. He swallowed and shook his head, shoving his free hand into his other pocket. “That’s why I found my way over here.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip as he tried to figure out the words of apology he wanted to go with. “I honestly can’t recall much from that weekend...” He heard an unimpressed snort and glanced up sharply to see the blonde woman from before had suddenly materialized behind the man. “B-but from what I’ve been told it was less than chivalrous and I really wanted to apologize for being a-” 

“Fuckhead mcstain shit?” She abruptly said, causing him to blink in surprise. Not just at being cut off, but at the rather hilarious creativity she’d put into the insult. Killian couldn’t help the smile that quirked up the side of his mouth. 

“Emma!” The brunette gasp, turning a disapproving glare on the blonde woman.

“Oh, come on M’s.” Emma rolled her eyes and waved a hand in Killian’s direction. “The guy was an asshole and deserves to know it.” She turned sharp green eyes on him again, one eyebrow raised in challenge. 

Killian conceded the point with a quick nod of his head. “Too right, lass.” The straight-forward confession must have caught her off guard because the other eyebrow raised in mild shock. He shrugged and smiled self-deprecatingly, pulling his hands out of his pockets to hold them out in supplication. “Hey, we’re going for honesty here, right?”

“Booze makes you honest too…” Emma supplied cynically.

Shaking his head slightly, tilting it to the side and squeezing one eye closed a fraction, Killian frowned. “Or just really bloody drunk.”

The man straightened in his chair some. “So you’re saying you don’t think we’re boring?” He was trying to pass it off in a nonchalant way, but Killian could sense that the guy really did want to hear his more sober opinion on the matter.

“Honestly, I can’t say…” At his words, the three others appeared less than enthused. Killian held up a hand, index finger raised. “Which is to say,” He added quickly. “I haven’t watched your content. But based on the crowds you were drawing in all weekend,” He pulled in a deep breath, letting it out on a sigh a moment later. “I was just a drunken fuckhead…” He looked to Emma.

“Mcstain shit.” 

Killian waved a hand towards her. “Aye, that.”

Despite her best efforts, Killian could see a smile trying to break free across Emma’s face. He raised an eyebrow and smiled as well, taking the small victory.

\-----

Curiosity got the better of her. She tried to deny there was any curiosity at all, but not even a weekend following Killian Jones’ begrudgingly endearing apology, Emma found herself on The Brother Jones’ youtube channel. She attempted to explain it away in her head - it was important to research the ‘competition’, she wanted more evidence to prove her initial impression of the aggravatingly handsome Brit was accurate, it was good to know just what was happening around the world she’d reluctantly found herself in…

Truth was, despite that unbecoming initial impression, Killian had managed to work his way under her skin. It hadn’t just been the apology - Emma hadn’t been able to help observing him that previous weekend. When he wasn’t swaggering about in rum-soaked arrogance, he was actually rather charming. Engaging with his fans, always up for some silly photo or video. It had been pure stubbornness that allowed her to hold to her ire when she’d seen he’d approached David and Mary Margaret that Sunday.

And now ire had given way to her sitting in her living room, hot chocolate in hand as she slowly worked her way through the seemingly endless list of videos. She’d originally intended to watch only one or two. Quench her curiosity, get an understanding of exactly what the Jones trio did to draw such fan devotion, and go back to her usual, non-youtube-focused day. Of course one or two had somehow morphed into more, Emma feeling compelled to click play on the next video after each one ended. 

The videos were funny. A good mix of dumb shenanigans and decent gameplay. Emma found she especially enjoyed Killian’s witty sense of humor and how he took all of the jibes from both of his brothers in stride. Though there was a clear bit of showboating to the audience, their emotions amped up to add some drama and flare, especially in regards to Liam being a bit pushy with Killian. 

If anything, her continued watching had only piqued an even deeper curiosity. Pausing mid-video, Emma moused over the ‘Show More’ in the description and clicked. As the details expanded, she found what she was looking for - a link to The Brother Jones’ twitter page. It was only a short time and a few more clicks later that Emma came upon Killian Jones’ personal Twitter page. 

She snorted softly at the ‘capnrollyjoger’ username, having just seen the particular video it had come from in her impromptu youtube marathon. As she scrolled through his feed, she noted all of the numerous interactions he had with his fans, from replies to retweets of silly observations about their videos and artwork. She definitely found the cheeky responses to how his hand got scarred entertaining. He was definitely in the thick of things, something her own limited attentions at the conventions backed up. 

She bit her lip, pausing in her scrolling to sit back against the couch cushion. She could feel the curiosity shifting to something more akin with genuine interest. There was still a part of her that really so desperately wanted to hate the guy. Wanted to cling to that first impression, but it was slipping away from her without much effort at all...

Possibly questioning her own sanity as she did it, she glided her mouse over to the ‘follow’ button and clicked on it.

\-----

For a couple weeks, Emma didn’t pay  _ too _ much mind to what she categorized as a new ‘guilty pleasure’. Between the usual work around the farm and the continued growing popularity of David and Mary Margaret’s joint youtube ‘brand’, it was easy to miss a lot of the comings and goings of the latest addition to her significantly small following list on Twitter. She’d catch glimpses here and there of his retweets of the official Brothers Jones’ account, or some comment about some game or other. And it seemed, with the massive following he brought in, he hadn’t noticed ‘theswangirl’ slipping in among them, something Emma found she was relieved about… mostly.

Of course, despite the usual and newer chaos, there were nights when Emma was alone and bored and already maybe a glass deep into a bottle of red her good friend Elsa always seemed to have on hand when she needed it. Which is where she found herself that Saturday night, her brother and sister-in-law off at another animal expo that Emma knew they’d commandeer into a nauseatingly romantic weekend for two. She’d been the third wheel enough times in her life to know the weekends she was needed and the weekends she wasn’t.

So while the lovebirds were off doing their thing, she was once again settled into the worn corner of her couch, hair up in a messy bun, freshly topped off wine glass in hand, laptop whirring away atop her tucked up legs. Nothing in particular across the internet was catching her fancy, so like any bored twenty-something on a Saturday night, she sat mindlessly refreshing her Twitter feed.

She wasn’t attached at the wrist to the social media, but it had its advantages. The biggest being, when she had nothing better to do, she could sit and observe the thoughts of people she wasn’t expected to interact with. Emma didn’t tweet much herself - the obligatory good sister retweets of her brother and sister-in-law’s videos, the occasional comment in response to one of them. It wasn’t anything exciting, and with absolutely no promotion towards her account, not many of The Charming Farm’s fans flocked to her page. It was peaceful and indulgent when she had the time to waste.

It was also extremely annoying when nothing was happening… at all… anywhere… Or so it felt. Emma took an exasperated sip from her glass, hit F5 yet again in hopes that something…  _ anything _ … would pop up to pique her interest. When only one tweet - some celeb’s irate response to something dumb a politician had said - came up, she let out a frustrated sigh and set the laptop aside. A nice hot bath was probably a better use of her quiet night then staring at a screen, she decided. Rising from the couch, she made sure to stop briefly in the kitchen to grab the wine from the counter, before making her way to the bathroom.

\-----

“No, no, no!” Killian hollered as he watched Yoshi wipe out hard on his computer screen, the finish line just a scant few feet in front of his cart. “Bloody hell!” He cried, dropping his controller onto the table as he watched four other animated carts zoom past his, effectively knocking him out of the running for the cup. A glance at the screen beside the one the gameplay was running on showed a rapid stream of hooting and hollering from the many viewers currently watching him broadcast the catastrophe that was his gameplaying.

“Sure, laugh it up you guys.” He chuckled as the text shifted from cheering to a scroll of mostly the same word - ‘shot’. Killian rolled his eyes and gave a faux nod of reluctance, shifting his gaze so he was looking directly into the webcam. “Yeah, okay...shot time it is.” He turned his chair slightly to grab up the bottle of rum conveniently sitting nearby. With a quick good-natured exasperated look at the camera, he screwed open the lid and poured the amber liquid into his ‘dead men tell no tales’ shot glass. 

Setting the bottle aside, Killian picked up the glass and held it aloft so all his viewers could see. He looked straight to that camera once more. “Well, seems you lot are bound and determined to have me deep in my cups before this night is over.” He lifted the glass slightly. “Cheers, mates.” Tossing back the rum, Killian only winced a fraction as it slid down his throat. He returned the glass next to it’s spot beside the bottle.

“Alright!” He clapped his hands together and glanced briefly at the list of people who had followed, subscribed, and donated to his account since he’d started the last race. “Thank you so much to ‘KilLiamSquared’ and ‘wrongbloodyhole’ for the bits, and all of you lovely people who have chosen to follow along with this mess tonight.” He zoned in on the name of the lone subscriber on the list. “And thank you ‘theswangirl’ for joining The Captain’s Crew. Be sure to show off that shiny new Hook next to your name and make use of all my handsome little emotes in whatever way you see fit!”

Picking his controller back up, Killian started to go through the motions of starting a new game. “For anybody who’s never joined along with one of my streams, I’m Killian…” He rolled his eyes in a well-practiced way. “Yes,  _ the _ Captain of the dashing Jones trio. Tonight we’re doing a spot of Retro Rum Running, where I play older games while you lovely lot think up rules of when I have to drink.” 

He turned slightly in his chair again to snatch up a second shot glass, this one much bigger and unused. “And this tough lass is waiting here for anybody who donates the exact amount of the Captain’s secret treasure stash. On top of  _ you _ winning a prize pack of Brothers Jones merch, _ I _ will be forced to take a full shot out of this.” Holding it towards the camera, he eyed his monitor as he spun the glass around to reveal the ‘S.S. Wrecked’ font across the front. “All you gotta do is figure out what that amount is!”

“And please remember,” Killian gave a significant look to the camera, “drink responsibly. I don’t want any young lad or lass out there taking things too far because they think their Captain said so. I know what I’m doing here, and I fully encourage people to know their limits as well, and have a sober friend present if you’re planning to have a few.”

Placing the glass back on the table where he’d had it, he spun back towards the camera and raised an eyebrow. “Now back to racing. I’m gonna win this cup before I’m too pissed to see straight, you mark my words,” he offered confidently before settling back in his chair and clicking start on the final pre-race menu. As he drove through the familiar jungle course  _ yet  _ again, he kept up an entertaining running commentary of what was happening on screen, sure to shout out any new subscribers or anybody donating bits when he caught their names. 

It wasn’t too long before the course was completed and he moved onto the next one, sitting in a  comfortable second. Of course it seemed Yoshi Valley was bound and determined to be his undoing and he practically limped over the finish line in an embarrassing fifth. “Fucking…” He groaned, dramatically chucking his controller to the table. He would have to do the course again… after he did the chat-encouraged shot of rum. 

Killian grumbled his way through the familiar motions of shot-taking once more. The fact that it burned a little less this time going down was the first indicator that he was likely screwed for the night, but he aimed to please his audience. And he was having fun, at home on a Saturday night, with only his loyal fanbase to see his silly antics when the world eventually started to blur around the edges. Also, Lee was down the hall, following along in chat while Killian played, keeping an eye on things.

As he set the shot glass aside again, he leaned in towards the screen to take a moment to read through what said chat was saying. He enjoyed the usual banter between his moderators and the regulars, chuckling at the people who appeared to be drinking right along with him. He caught flashes of Lee being right in the thick of things, something the chat seemed to be very much living for. He was just about to pull back and get back to the game when a comment caught his eye.

‘Careful now, Captain. You don’t have any friendly neighborhood elevators nearby to keep you upright later.’ Killian read it off, eyebrow raising once more as what the viewer - ‘theswangirl’ - had sassed to him slowly sunk in. He felt his heartbeat quicken a bit and Killian found he had to clear his throat before he could respond.

He finally got a laugh out, flopping back in his chair and looking to the camera. “Too right, lass.” He nodded and winked, reaching out and grabbing his phone. He quickly typed out a ‘mod and message her right now’ to Lee. “I guess I better step up my racing game, aye?” He added a cocky inflection to his tone as he set his phone aside, replacing it for his controller, giving his left hand a good shake for good measure to ease the cramping that has set in. Killian hoped he didn’t come off too flustered as he plunged himself right back into the gameplay.

Of course it was difficult not to keep running his thoughts over the rather simple revelation that fiery convention Emma had found her way to his stream.

\-----

“You alright, bro?” 

Killian waved an errant hand in the general direction of his bedroom doorway, where Lee was watching with what he assumed was amusement. It was honestly too hard to see that far at this point, and he was half distracted by the phone in his other hand. 

“Yeess, I’m fiiiine.” The hiccup he let out at the end likely made his words sound like utter garbage, but Killian actually wasn’t as bad off as Lee probably suspected. Sure, he was drunk, but it wasn’t ‘a whole evening of memories will be gone by the morning’ kind of drunk. At least he hoped - he really hoped. Because bloody hell, Emma Swan!

“You’re sure?” Lee queried again and Killian let out an exasperated groan. 

“Liam, seriously…” Kilian struggled to sit up, wincing a bit as another hiccup came out. “I’m alright. Certainly been worse. Now lemme Twitter stalk in peace please.” He attempted to glare at his younger brother, who merely smirked and nodded in a placating way that Killian knew was only reserved for him and his drunkenness. 

Lee pushed off the doorframe. “Okay.” He turned and headed back down the hall, throwing a “Try not to fuck it up again” as he went. 

Killian looked back to his phone. “Yeah-” he hiccuped. “Yeah.” 

She’d found him through Twitter. That was what Lee had gathered from her in the private chat they’d been having while Killian continued to stream. Which meant she’d been on  _ his _ Twitter. Because the tweets about his stream didn’t go through The Brother Jones official account. It was his own thing, separate from the eldest Jones’ admiral-like way of things. 

It was possible she had stumbled upon it just that night, but Killian had a vague recollection of having seen a username similar to the one she had on Twitch in his Twitter notifications some time back. Of course it could’ve just been the rum messing with his memories - not a first - but Killian hoped it wasn’t.

It took a little longer than he would’ve liked, and that certainly was the rum at play, but shortly he came upon ‘theswangirl’ on his followers list. He let out a hiccupping cheer, not even hesitating to press the follow right there on the list. A couple more taps and he found himself in a new direct message window. He knew he should probably wait until he was on the better side of sober, but Killian couldn’t hold himself back in that moment.

**‘** **_Bloddy helll, lass. You’ve absollytely rwrecked me!’_ **

He hit send and licked at his bottom lip, watching the screen in almost giddy anticipation. Nothing happened at first and he frowned, wondering if maybe she’d gone to bed and he’d just drunk tweeted in vain, doomed to live with it the next morning. But then, he saw the strobing ellipses under his message and ‘ah-ha’d’ in triumph. 

_ ‘Wasn’t that the point though? And what can I say? I’m good at finding things.‘ _

Killian snorted, nodding even though she couldn’t see him. She bloody had that right. It had been quite a few Rum Runnings since someone had actually hit the secret treasure stash amount. But Emma? She’d been downright determined to hunt it down and, despite his cockiness that she’d be hard pressed to, she’d succeeded. 

**_‘Ya knowww, fir someonne so crtirical of my past indsdulences, you did a damn fine jobb at gettying me drunk.’_ **

_ ‘Couldn’t tell. ;)’ _

**_‘It’s rude to mockl the sobberly challenged, ya know.’_ **

_ ‘Only counts if I’m sober.’ _

Killian raised an eyebrow at that, a slow grin forming as her meaning hit him.

**_‘Did the pretty SWan partake tonihjt too?!’_ **

_ ‘May have had a bit of wine…’ _

**_‘How much s abit?’_ **

_ ‘Almost two bottles??’ _

Killian laughed loudly, collapsing back against his pillows. Another hiccup escaped as he considered how he was gonna respond, and he snorted again. 

_ ‘ _ **_I would give you an impresssed whjistle, but I can’r stop hicccuuoig. XD’_ ** **_  
_ **

_ ‘Ngl, I’m kinda curious to see…’ _

He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, then clumsily maneuvered his way into a sitting position once more as a wild idea struck him.

**_‘Pergaps we could……. Faceyime?’_ **

Killian nervously tapped his fingers against the back of his phone as he watched the ellipses appear, disappear, and reappear again. He frowned after it continued a few more times, wondering if he’d crossed a line. He started to type out an apology when finally her response came through.

_ ‘I would usually say I’m not quite drunk enough for that, but.... Tonight I kinda am. So...yeah… let’s Faceyime. ;P’ _

Grinning, Killian pumped a fist into the air ‘Breakfast Club’ style and flopped to his side, unable to stop the drunken victorious giggles that followed.

\-----

Where she had spent the first couple of weeks after following his Twitter not paying too much attention to Killian Jones, Emma spent the several that followed her visit to his livestream seeming to chat with him nonstop. Drunken Facetime had shifted to playful texting. That then shifted to longer, more meaningful texting, resulting in long phone calls and less drunken Facetiming. She liked the way he always seemed to be willing to listen like nobody else really had where she was concerned. She liked the way it was something he clearly considered to be mutual.

In fact, there was quite a lot she had come to like about Killian Jones in the months since they’d exchanged phone numbers on what they referred to as their ‘drunken hook up’. There, of course, had been no actual hooking up that night. But something had definitely shifted in the two of them since Emma had agreed to Killian’s first impromptu Facetime suggestion. 

He was the one she found herself wanting to talk with when something interesting happened. There was always a good morning, evening, whatever time of day-ing waiting on her phone at any given time of day. She hadn’t missed a single one of his streams, and had been quietly devouring all of the Brothers Jones’ videos whenever she wasn’t actually talking with Killian himself on the phone. Somehow the guy she’d once dubbed ‘fuckhead mcstain shit’ and wanted absolutely nothing to do with had become one of the handful of people she enjoyed confiding in. 

They confided in each other, really. Over the course of their technological interactions, Killian had told her about his past. Mother died too young, dad who cared more himself instead of the two boys he was supposed to be there for. The same dad who’d had a secret affair with another woman, bringing a half-brother for Killian and Liam into the mix. The strife it had caused for all three brothers, and how they’d taken to video games to work out those feelings. How that had snowballed into what was now the seemingly unstoppable Brother Jones’ internet sensation, the eldest Liam calling the shots like the caretaker he’d been to Killian and the younger Liam, even when Killian and Lee no longer needed such a caretaker in their lives.

In kind, Emma had told Killian about being abandoned by her real parents, the adoption by the Nolans when she was ten, Neal at sixteen, giving up her own son for adoption because she wasn’t ready to be a parent so young. Killian had been so open and understanding to the mountain of baggage that was her life, willingly allowing her dump bits of it on him at any time without any fuss. ‘I can see why you like to keep a low profile on The Charming Farm.’ he’d quipped after one such baggage dump.

Her initial impression of him had been so far off the mark, she’d realized one night after he’d opened up about the contentious relationship he now had with not only his dad, but the brother who had always been such a hard act to live up to. As he quietly rambled on about feeling like nothing he did was never enough, it’d struck Emma that the man she’d first met had been using his well-honed internet persona as a protection and form of rebellion. Namely against an older brother that seemed hell-bent on fitting Killian into a box he wasn’t shaped for. After he’d quieted down about Liam that night, she had apologized for getting him so wrong. 

_ “Nothing to apologize for, love.”  _ He had answered knowingly.  _ “I know I take things too far sometimes. I have some parts of myself that still need a lot of work.” _

_ “Maybe we can work on our shit together.” _ She had replied softly. 

A sigh had followed. “ _ Yeah,” _ Emma had been able to hear the smile in his voice.  _ “I’d like that a lot.” _

They’d agreed that a private meetup at their next shared convention was the next logical step after that.

Emma stared at her phone, biting at the corner of her lip nervously as she waited for the message to come in. She was leaning back against the wall just outside the suite she was sharing with David and Mary Margaret, hoping one of them wouldn’t come barging out the door and demand what she was doing. 

Even though she would have to likely make up some excuse as to where she was going… just as soon as she knew  _ where _ she was going. 

“Come on, come on, come on…” She mumbled, still watching the screen. A moment later, the sign that someone was typing on the other end appeared and she let out a quick breath.

_ ‘ _ **_Sorry, love. Had to come up with some plausible reason to skip the usual Friday night shenanigans.’_ **

_ ‘It’s alright.’  _ She typed in response.  _ ‘Getting a little antsy, though. David and M’s are just inside and it won’t be much longer until one of them comes and checks on me out here.’ _

**‘** **_Well, then I guess it’s not gentlemanly to keep you waiting much longer…’_ **

_ ‘Killian!’ _

A few smug side eye emojis popped up, but Emma could see he was immediately typing after he sent them, so refrained from sending him a middle finger in response.

**_‘My sources told me of a quaint little Irish pub not too far from here. Usually off the radar of the convention crowds. That pique your fancy?’_ **

_ ‘That does sound nice.’  _

**_‘Consider it a date then. ;) I’ll message you the address. See you soon (finally!).’_ **

Emma let out a fluttering sigh and couldn’t stop the blushing smile from coming as she read his words. The sound of David’s voice near the other side of the suite door had her catching herself and making an attempt at finding her composure. She quickly pocketed her phone and turned to reach for the handle, pulling in a deep breath and trying to come up with a decent excuse for wanting to head out that evening.

\-----

Stepping inside the dimly lit pub, Killian attempted to brush some of the rain water out of his hair and catch a glimpse of himself in the decorated mirror by the door. Just his luck that the skies had decided to open up not ten minutes after confirming the get together with Emma. The first time they were seeing each other again in person in months and now he looked a sodden mess. He swept his fingers through his hair again, trying to get some of the form back to it, but it was a pitiful attempt. 

Letting out a defeated sigh, he turned to take in his surroundings. Emma had texted him a few minutes before he’d arrived, saying she’d gotten them a table near the back. He scanned the furthest corners of the establishment and felt his breath hitch as she came into view. And it was if his body moved on its own, pulling him towards her without any second thought whatsoever.

She was distracted by something on her phone, and it gave him a chance to really take her in as he approached. It appeared she hadn’t been able to avoid the deluge outside either, the dampness in her hair and the air around it bringing out the natural curl. She was a sight to behold, and Killian couldn’t help the breathless way his voice came out when he spoke.

“Emma.”

Looking up quickly, Emma smiled softly. “Hey…” She rose from the booth that circled half of the round table her phone rested on, coming to stand right before him. He noted how green her eyes looked in the dim lighting. It was enchanting.

“Hey.” He answered softly and without having to say anything, they both leaned in for a hug. It felt amazing to finally be able to hold her, and from the way she squeezed back, Killian figured she felt the same. 

After holding to each other for what somehow felt like too long and not long enough at the same time, Emma pulled back a bit. Killian still kept a hand resting on her shoulder, thumb rubbing against the damp black fabric of her sweater. 

Her smile was shy and she fidgeted a bit in place. “I ordered us a couple of hot buttered rums.” She shrugged. “Seemed like a fitting drink with the weather.”

Killian gave her a sweet smile. “A woman after my own heart.” He didn’t miss the gleam in those green eyes as she gestured for him to slide into the booth first.

\-----

“And we realized...too late that none of us had even... bothered to hit record!”

Emma grinned as Killian regaled her with one of the many mishaps alongside his brothers in their adventures into making content for the internet masses.

“No!”

“Aye!” Killian chortled. “So Liam had put himself through the wringer for bloody nothing!”

Watching Killian laugh was almost as good as the story he’d been telling. She found the flush of his cheeks and the tears he lazily wiped away to be adorable. Her eyes honed in on the scarring on his hand, and she felt her heart ache as she remembered the story behind how he’d gotten it. 

" _The real one."_ Killian had mumbled over Facetime. He’d recalled how he and Lee had been messing around outside with things, as teenagers typically did, and somehow he’d ended up with cable wiring slicing through his hand and wrist. He’d been sixteen and hospitalized for weeks, the wiring doing damage to the nerves. He’d eventually recovered, as much as he could. He still had problems, at times - mostly minor pain and numbness, which made his current lifestyle challenging from time to time. The real trouble was how the accident had been the starting point for the tension that now lived permanently between him and the eldest Jones. Liam had initially been the caring and understanding older brother, but as the financial strain of Killian’s recovery started to take its toll on their lives, Liam had grown more overbearing. Which often made Killian feel as if maybe he’d just been more responsible that day...

The self-deprecating smile Killian had given her while holding up the ‘offending appendage’ had stayed with her for days.

“Swan?”

She blinked as Killian’s voice brought her back to the present moment. He was watching her in mild concern, having recovered from his laughing fit to find her staring at him as if lost in a sort of trance. “You alright, love?” He reached out to place his damaged hand on hers resting atop the table.

Emma shook her head and smiled in mild embarrassment. “Yeah…” She pulled in a deep breath, eyes watching his own blue intently. “Yeah,” She flipped her upwards, letting her fingers interlace with his own. “I’m just really glad you’re here.”

“Aye, love.” Killian’s smile was the sweetest thing Emma had seen, she was sure of it. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Me too.” She closed her eyes as he turned her hand in his so he could raise it to place a kiss against her knuckles. 

“Also wish we had more than just Friday evening to spend together.” Emma confessed, giving Killian a knowing look as she opened her eyes. 

He closed his in response, dropping his head so his forehead was touching their still entwined hands. “I know…” He sighed. “But you know Liam and his bloody convention schedules.” His gaze was almost helpless as he looked back up at her. “It’s as if he somehow,  _ someway _ knows I wanna be elsewhere this weekend and has gone out of his way to book us for every interview and event imaginable. Like I’m bloody sixteen and stupid once more.”

“You need to talk to him, Killian.” Emma implored, scooting closer to him. She let go of his hand and reached up to brush her fingers over the hair curling at the edge of his ear.

Killian sighed again. “I know…” His hand came to rest on her knee, tucked up between his leg and the wall of the booth they’d seemingly made their own in the past couple of hours. “And I will. I promise.” His other hand came up to caress her cheek. “I intend to tell him a lot of things.”

Emma met him halfway as he started to lean in, pressing her lips to his softly. 

\-----

Something was definitely off. Emma could feel it the more the Saturday of the convention progressed along. The fact that Killian had only been communicating in short responses at long intervals only intensified the feeling. She knew their schedules aligned briefly as, once again, David and Mary-Margaret had a panel following Killian and his brothers. She hoped to get some insight into whatever was going on with him then. She hoped he was okay.

The sight of Lee standing outside the lounge doors, looking stressed, as she approached with David, Mary Margaret, and their respective handlers, had her realizing that her hopes were likely in vain. The moment the youngest Jones spotted her down the hall, he came trotting up. 

“Emma…” 

It was all he could get out before she heard the raised voices coming from the room he’d just been standing outside. Pushing past him, Emma rushed down the hall and through the doorway. The sight of Killian laughing maniacally, balance wavering drastically from one foot to another, as Liam shouted, red-faced, about decorum and having responsibilities and a job to do, made Emma’s heart feel like it was breaking in two. 

“Oh my…” Mary Margaret’s shocked voice came from behind her. It drew the attention of the arguing brothers and Killian grinned madly upon seeing Emma. 

“Swan!” He cheered, stumbling his way towards her. The overwhelming smell of rum hit her just moments before she found herself on the receiving end of a sloppy, uninhibited kiss. She made a noise of surprise in the back of her throat, wrapping her arms around Killian’s shoulders in an attempt to keep them both upright as he pressed what felt like his full body weight into her. She allowed it for a moment before tugging her lips away from his. 

He didn’t seem to mind, still grinning as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and abruptly turned. “How’zat for a,” The quick movement sent him crashing down onto his ass, Emma failing to hold onto him completely. She immediately crouched down at his side. “Colab-” A hiccup broke free. “Rasion.” He finished, tears coming to his bloodshot blue eyes, pointing the finger of the hand not still clinging to Emma’s at his older brother.

When stunned silence was the only thing to follow his slurred words, Killian turned his unfocused gaze on Emma. The tears spilled over his flushed cheeks. “Umsrry.” He whispered before collapsing against her and starting to sob outright.

Emma seated herself on the floor completely, wrapping Killian in her arms as he became overwhelmed by emotions that had been building up for quite some time. She rested her cheek atop his head, finding herself staring up at the fabberglasted expression of the Brothers Jones ringleader as she whispered to his brother that it was gonna be okay.

\-----

The electronic whirring of the door lock had Emma glancing up from the man currently passed out in her lap on the bed in her hotel suite. She continued to brush her fingers through his sweaty, dark hair as Lee appeared from around the wall. His arms were laden with a number of items as he came to stop at the foot of the bed. 

“Supply delivery.” He smiled, keeping his voice low despite the fact they both knew nothing was waking Killian anytime soon. 

Emma returned the smile. “You can put it down right over here.” She indicated with a jerk of her head to the table next to where she sat propped up. Lee nodded and moved around the bed, getting onto his knees so he could easily deposit the stuff on the wooden surface. 

“I always make sure to keep a pack of this stuff tucked away when we do cons.” Lee started holding up various items, from coconut water, to vending machine powdered donuts. “All the things Kil likes after losing a fight with his rum.”

She gave a knowing nod. “He’s told me.”

Lee sat back on his heels and gave her a small smile. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me.” It was no secret little Liam had known about whatever was building between her and his brother for some time. Killian had confided in her that he trusted his little brother with pretty much anything. The only one he did, before she’d rightfully insulted her way into his life.

_ ‘I was terrible to him when we were younger. Resented him and blamed him for taking my father, and my brother’s name...but along the way, he became my closest friend. Especially following the accident and since, in this crazy life we now lead.’ _

“You’ve been good for him.” Lee whispered, eyes watching as Emma continued her comforting movements with her fingers. She wanted to say something in response, but realized Lee wasn’t quite finished. “These last several months, Killian’s been a lot less… down about himself. Like he’d found something to wake up for beside this  _ character _ the world has made him into.”

She felt her eyes start to fill with tears as she watched Lee’s do the same.

“He’s the strongest person I know, but clearly,” Lee gestured towards his brother. “He stumbles a lot.”

Emma couldn’t help the quip that came out. “Quite literally, from all I’ve seen.”

Lee chuckled and nodded. His gaze turned pleading as his eyes found hers. “You’re gonna help him through this, right?”

“I think…” Emma pulled in a deep breath and looked back down at Killian. “We’re gonna be helping each other through whatever happens.” She glanced at Lee again. “I’m gonna choose to see the best in him.”

Smiling through his tears, Lee nodded. “Good.”

\-----

The sun shining through the curtains pulled Killian into the world of the waking. He blinked rapidly at the bright light, letting out a tired groan. He felt like he’d been run over by a truck and found it hard to rise up in the bed. Still, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position on the side of the mattress. He rested his elbows on his knees, running both hands through his sleep-tostled hair before flexing the fingers on his left hand a few times.

Yesterday had been a rough one, to say the least. He could feel it in every inch of his body, from his hair down to his toes. He briefly considered just crawling back into bed, but knew it was probably in his best interest to face the day ahead. 

Scrubbing a hand down his face, he rubbed at his stubbly jaw while shifting his attention to his phone on the bedside table. Snatching it up, he let out a yawn and he pressed the ‘home’ button. There was the usual barrage of notifications from his various socials, but right at the top was a text from Emma.

_ ‘David wanted to get some footage for next week’s video, and I figured some sunrise shots would be great for tomorrow’s vlog. Didn’t want to wake you after yesterday, and knowing what’s happening today. Text me when you get up. <3’ _

Killian smiled, unlocking his phone to shoot off a text to her before he went about getting ready for the day. He fretted over what clothes to wear for a short while, even messaging Emma again just to ask her opinion. Her ‘Who gives a shit? Who’re you trying to impress?’ in response had him letting out a loud laugh before he settled on a nice pair of fitted jeans and a button down. 

Taking in his reflection in the large vanity mirror, he let out a calming breath. Yesterday had been the day to indulge his concerns and worries about not being enough, or the right version of himself. Today… well, today he was determined to  _ just be _ himself, versions be damned.

Liam would just have to take or leave him however he was. Part of him - a large part - was concerned his older brother would choose the leaving, but Killian tried to prepare himself for that outcome. It wasn’t like they’d really truly spoken in over a year anyway…

Following the explosive, and extremely public, falling out of the two eldest Jones Brothers, Killian’s life had taken a weird, albeit not unwelcome, sort of turn. At the suggestion of Emma, and surprisingly her sister-in-law too, Killian had moved into the house at Charming farm. In the wake of his biggest drunken embarrassment to date, the truth about his and Emma’s budding relationship had finally come out to those closest to them. And ‘M’s’, as Emma so affectionately loved to call her, had latched onto it like barnacle to a ship.  _ ‘That’s not a bad analogy considering you two are a type of ship!’  _ The perky brunette had chirped one night from the kitchen as they were wrapping up dinner. 

Emma’s brother had been less enthused about the idea, but after a private talk with just his sister, he had reluctantly agreed to the arrangement. It had taken a lot of convincing and hard work on Killian’s part, but eventually the man the internet world knew as ‘Prince Charming’ came to see him as a bit of a brother himself. 

And Killian went from never having seen any of the Nolan’s content to being a part of it. Not at first. They’d all agreed, Killian more so than anyone, that he needed to pull back from the world of content creation. When he’d first moved into Emma’s little house on the property, much to the muttered grumblings of her brother, he tried to keep from getting too involved in whatever was being filmed on any given day. He didn’t outright avoid being in videos, but he also didn’t actively seek being the focus of them either.

It was something his fans hadn’t been shy to grill him on. Not that he blamed them too much. It was definitely a drastic shift from obscenely yelling at players on a screen to baking cute pink cupcakes on ‘Mary Margaret's Magnificent Masterpieces’. The Captain persona that had carried him through his rise in the Youtube ranks had abruptly been put out to sea. He had Lee remove him from The Brothers Jones’ accounts and changed all of his relevant information to something more him then all of them. Not the username, though. 

_ “I like it too damn much.”  _ Emma had said.

It had been an adjustment for everyone, creators and fans alike. The Brothers Jones channel and socials initially tried to pass off Killian’s absence as only a temporary adjustment, despite the fact the blow up between him and Liam had spread like wildfire - hard not too when Killian had staggered offstage in the middle of their panel that fateful Saturday evening. But it soon went dormant right alongside the persona Killian had built within it. Having spent the good part of his time away from that life not speaking with Liam, he only got updates about his oldest brother when he chatted with Lee. The youngest Jones had survived the fallout practically unscathed, and Killian was ecstatic and proud to know Lee was out there taking the youtube gaming world by storm. 

Killian didn’t stop gaming entirely. It was such an integral part of his life for so long, and it really wasn’t the  _ games _ fault that things had fallen apart. He kept it mostly for himself and for Emma at first, enjoying simply in making her laugh with his antics. She especially loved when Lee jumped into games and a bit of the early days of Brother Jones magic came to life again. Slowly, over time, Killian reactivated his Twitch again, and started his own personal Youtube channel. The content was much more laid back and carefree. Many less drunk plays and Rum Runnings, to the disappointment of many of his fans. 

He didn’t quit drinking, but he’d come to finally practice what he’d tried to preach to his fans for years - responsible drinking was the only way to do it, if one did it at all. At first, he stayed away from the rum as he tried to build his new life with Emma and her family. But slowly, like with everything else that worked its way back into his life, he learned to enjoy a drink here and there without relying on it to prop him up for the sake of content. He, every so often, would indulge more than was necessary for a stream or video, but always under Emma’s watchful eye, stopping when she’d indicated he’d had enough for a night.

The fans that had stayed through the initial drop off following his massive life adjustment loved Emma. As Killian had started to put out more content again, she had started making her way into more of his videos. To the point where they decided they wanted to try their hands at vlogging. The Captain Swan Channel had been pulling in steady views and followers alike in the few months it had been active. They’d just started getting inquiries from the convention organizers, something that both excited and terrified Killian. 

It was via this channel that Killian finally addressed to the public his feelings on Liam. With Emma at his side, he put out a heartfelt video telling his brother how he was so sorry for all that they had become and how he missed him deeply, despite it all. And he was finally ready to talk, if Liam was willing. 

Which is how Killian found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror that morning, wondering how the future with the man he felt he could never live up to was about to play out. He didn’t have long to wonder as the sound of footsteps on the stairs drew his attention to the doorway. He smiled as Emma came into the room.

“Hey.” He reached out to her, pulling her into his side and placing a kiss atop her head. “Mmm, you smell like sunrise.”

“Does sunrise have a smell?”

Killian nodded. “Oh yeah…” He shifted so he was leaning against the edge of the vanity, pulling Emma between his legs. He rested his hands on her hips and looked up at her adoringly. “Fresh dew and damp woods and just beauty incarnate…” She offered a small smile, but he could sense something more behind it. He quirked one brow up. “What is it?”

Emma reached up and brushed her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck. “David and M’s have Liam over at the main house.”

Pulling in a deep breath, Killian nodded. “Alright.” He pushed himself to his feet, causing Emma to step back a bit. He pulled her back to him for a deep, toe-curling kiss. When they broke apart after a few long moments, he nodded again.

“Time for me to go finally have a  _ real _ talk with my big brother.”

\-----

Emma watched her husband pace nervously back and forth in front of the couch she was lounging against. She desperately wanted to get up and run her fingers through his slightly too-long, wayward hair, but she’d finally found such a good position that eased the persistent ache in her back and she’d be damned if she was gonna get up before she had to.

“You’re acting like you’ve never done this before, babe.” She offered instead. 

Killian paused in his pacing to give her an incredulous look. “Not like this, Swan.” He gave a shake of his head. “Maybe when I was the obnoxious gamer guy, but now I’m…” He waved hand erratically up and down his body before waving it towards her. “And you’re…”

She eyed him critically. “I’m what?” Her tone was laced with a good bit of warning.

He rolled his eyes and dropped to the floor before her. “You’re bloody beautiful, darling.” He reached out and pressed his left hand to the slight swell of her belly. “You know I think so.” Killian sighed and rested his forehead against her thigh. “I’m just wondering if we made the right choice by doing all of this… again.”

Emma finally got the opportunity to run her fingers through his wild hair. After a moment of indulgence for herself, she gently tugged on it until uncertain blue eyes found hers. “We  _ both _ agreed that this was an adventure we wanted to try, right? And it’s been a pretty good one so far, I think.” She placed her free hand over his still resting on her stomach. “Yeah, so you’re not the guy who was entertaining the gamer masses here a few years back. That’s okay. I’m not the girl who I was then either. We’ve both grown a bit.” She moved her hand on his a bit to rub at the side of her bump. “Some of us more than others.”

“You’re bloody-”

“Beautiful, I know.” She rolled her eyes this time. “And you’re-”

“Handsome and married and on your way to being daddy.” Both glanced up as the eldest Liam gently lowered himself onto the couch next to Emma. He leaned in to place a kiss to her cheek, causing her to smile in warm greeting towards him. “It suits you, little brother.”

Killian’s brow furrowed. “Younger.” He mumbled out of habit before grinning and reaching out to clasp his brother’s arm tightly. “How was the Meet and Greet?”

Liam released Killian’s arm and settled back against the couch with a sigh. “Oh, you know…” He draped his arm along the back of the couch behind Emma’s shoulders. “Everyone always wants to know about you and Emma, or Lee and his latest girl, or…”

“Elsa?” Emma offered, smirking conspiratorially at her husband as she did so. Killian snorted and raised both eyebrows towards his brother innocently. The older man groaned and dropped his head back.

“Not you two as well!” He muttered. 

“I mean, she was in your last few videos, Liam.” Killian pointed out mischievously. He caught Emma biting at her lip in amusement out of the the corner of his eye and winked. She snorted softly.

Liam lifted his head and gestured vaguely with his free hand out towards the room. “Does friendly collaboration mean nothing anymore?!”

Sharing a significant look briefly, both Killian and Emma turned their eyes on Liam as they answered ‘no!’ simultaneously. He threw his hands up in the air and pushed up from the couch, stomping towards the doorway for dramatic effect. 

“Where are you going?!” Killian called after him playfully as his brother continued out of the room.

“Phone calls to make before autographs.” Liam shouted back. 

“You’re calling Elsa, aren’t you?!” Emma added. She got an exasperated moan in response and it set her and Killian giggling again. Killian pushed up on his knees so she could lean in and rest her forehead against hers. Moments later, they were kissing. 

They were just starting to really get into the kiss when a throat clearing a couple feet away had them pulling apart. Ruby was standing, watching with a grin on her face and a perfectly filled in eyebrow raised. 

“You two are up…” She gestured with her head towards the stage, her glossy brown and red hair swaying with the movement. “You ready, Jonses?”

Killian moved to stand, helping to pull Emma up as he went. She made sure to peck him on his cheek affectionately as she found her footing. Killian grinned and placed a kiss to the tip of her nose. She rolled her eyes and stepped off in the direction Ruby was standing, being sure to keep a hold of his left hand as she tugged him along behind her.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Some notes on some things featured in the fic:
> 
> The 'fuckhead mcstain shit' that Emma calls Killian came from Episode 110 of Achievement Hunter's Off Topic podcast, 'The Worst Time to Be a Chicken'. You can watch that (2:23:18 is where the discussion starts where it comes up) [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEV0CZIKScE) (this fic idea was initially inspired by Achievement Hunter videos as it is)
> 
> The 'S.S. Wrecked' shot glass that Killian uses in his stream was one I had seen in Spencer's right before Christmas. It was far larger than a standard shot glass (and I wish I'd gotten it then, honestly). It's not available on their website, so I can't provide a reference photo unfortunately.
> 
> If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please feel free to send them my way over on Tumblr - I'm pirateherokillian over there!


End file.
